Method for changing the rolls of a rolling mill and apparatus for applying the method

ABSTRACT

D R A W I N G THE ROLL REPLACEMENT OF THE ROLLING MILL IS MADE IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER: THERE IS ATTACHED A CROSS BEAM PROVIDED WITH A RAIL ON THE UPPER SIDE AS WELL AS ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE ROLL STAND AND EACH CROSS BEAM CAN MOVE UP AND DOWN. HORIZONTAL ROLLS ARE SUPPORTED ON EACH OF THE CROSS BEAMS. AT THE TIME OF THE ROLL REPLACING. THE UPPER CROSS BEAM IS RAISED AND THE LOWER CROSS BEAM IS PULLED DOWN BY MEANS OF THE SCREW ADJUSTING DEVICE SO THAT THE ROLL REPLACEMENT CAN BE MADE WITH EASE IN THE ROLL STAND. WHEN THE VERTICAL ROLLS ARE TO BE REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME WITH THE HORIZONTAL ROLLS, THE VERTICAL ROLLS ARE SUSPENDED ON THE CHOCK OF THE UPPER HORIZONTAL ROLL OR PLACED ON THE LOWER HORIZONTAL ROLL, AND A DEVICE FOR PUSHING IN AND DRAWING OUT IS MADE TO ENGAGE WITH THE CHOCK FOR THE UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL ROLLS, AND THEN SETS OF ALL ROLLS CAN BE CHANGED AT THE SAME TIME.

March 2,. 1971 EHCHI KATO EI'AL 3,566,498

METHOD FOR CHANGING THE ROLLS OF A ROLLING MILL AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jail. 14, 1969 FIG. 1

I NVE NTORS EIICHI KATO YUKiO OHNO ATTORNEYS 6 Sheets-Sheet I EIlCHl-KATO ET AL OO O March 2, 1971 METHOD FOR CHANGING THE ROLLS OF A ROLLING MILL AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD Filed Jan. 14, 1969 FIG. 2

I I I I I l l I la [I 0 Wu l lu l Y l 1 1 mu z a 3 3 il: W IIIMHH v 7 5 L 2 a March 2, 1971 EHCHLKATO ETAL 3,566,498

METHOD FOR CHANGING THE ROLLS OF A ROLLING MILL AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD Filed Jan. 14, 1969 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 2, 1971 EHCHI KATQ ETAL 3,566,498

' METHOD FOR CHANGING THE ROLLS OF A ROLLING MILL AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD Filed Jan. 14, 1969 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 r v 4 l I y" h 39 Iv --7 FIG. '8 P I R m /h 0 v d lN /EN TOR$ EIICHI' KATO YUKiO OHNO 7 ATTORNEYS March 1971 EIICHI KATo'El' METHOD FOR CHANGING THE ROLLS' OF A ROLLING'MILL AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD '6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Jan. 14, 1969 INVENTORS EIICHI KATOY YUKIO OHNO m gm ATTORNEYS March 2, 1971 E||H| ATO ETAL 3,566,498

METHOD FOR CHANGING THE ROLLS OF A ROLLING MILL AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Jan. 14, 1969 INVENTORS EIICHI KATO BY YUKiO OHNO ATTORNEYS Int. Cl. B23p1 1/00, 19/00 US. Cl. 29148.4 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The roll replacement of the rolling mill is made in the following manner: There is attached a cross beam provided with a rail on the upper side as well as on the lower side of the roll stand and each cross beam can move up and down. Horizontal rolls are supported on each of the cross beams. At the time of the roll replacing, the upper cross beam is raised and the lower cross beam is pulled down by means of the screw adjusting device so that the roll replacement can be made with ease in the roll stand. When the vertical rolls are to be replaced at the same time with the horizontal rolls, the vertical rolls are suspended on the chock of the upper horizontal roll or placed on the lower horizontal roll, and a device for pushing in and drawing out is made to engage with the chock for the upper and lower horizontal rolls, and then sets of all rolls can be changed at the same time.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION Unlike the rolling of plates and other general shape steel, vertical rolls must be incorporated in addition to the horizontal rolls for the rolling of H-shaped steel. This complicated feature of the rolling mill and furthermore the horizontal rolls must be changed every time a product of a difierent size is rolled.

In an effort to shorten the time required for such roll changing and to increase the efiiciency of the equipment, various methods for changing the rolls have been developed up to the present time. One of such methods is the one which was used in the early stage of the rolling mill for H-shaped steel and which utilizes a crane to lift up the roll stand for changing the rolls. This method worked all right when only the rolled products of a small size were demanded on the market and therefore it was possible to lift up each roll stand by crane for changing the rolls. However, this method has become highly impracticable and uneconomical in recent years, because the size of the rolled product is as long as 1000 mm., the weight of the roll exceeds 15 tons and the weight of the roll stand is even greater than 300 tons. For these reasons, the following two methods have come to be mainly used. In these methods, the rolls and the roll chocks are pulled out or lifted up from the roll stand for changing the rolls.

One of these two methods is intended to promptly change the horizontal rolls in view of the far more frequent chances for changing the horizontal rolls than those for changing the vertical rolls. In the method, sets of the upper and lower horizontal rolls are simultaneously pulled out from or inserted into the roll stand by means of an electrical device or a hydraulic device and the changing of the vertical rolls is done with a C hook or other special changing jig. Such special changing jig is used after the upper horizontal roll (a) provided in the housing (72) as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 was raised. The vertical rolls (d) are raised up to the position United States Patent 0' ice for changing by means of special device, then the changing jig is inserted into the roll stand after determining the position of such changing jig by means of a side guide (g), and connected to the vertical rolls, so that the vertical roll (0) on the operation side and the vertical roll (d) on the driving side can be pulled out separately onto the table roller (f).

The other method is to change both horizontal and vertical rolls at the same time by incorporating the horizontal and vertical rolls into the inner stand on the carriage and pulling them out from or inserting them into the outer stand However, such conventional methods as a roll stand changing has the following disadvantages:

(1) It is uneconomical because a spare stand for changing the rolls must be prepared.

(2) It is also uneconomical because the large crane capacity is required to lift up the roll stand, resulting in a large overall size both building and crane.

(3) The operation for mounting and dismounting of the roll stand on the rolling line is troublesome.

(4) The size of the roll stand must be limited by the capacity of the crane.

(5) In the type in which the roll stand equipped with the rolls to be changed is pulled out and moved to the roll shop, and a spare roll stand having the new rolls previously prepared and adjusted in the roll shop is inserted, the positions of the horizontal and vertical rolls must be re-adjusted on the rolling line.

The second method which utilizes a C hook or special changing jig also has such disadvantage that its operation is complicated, that considerable skill is required in the handing of the special changing jig or C hook and that a crane is required to be employed. The other method utilizing the inner stand has the following disadvantages:

(a) A spare inner stand and carriage for changing the rolls must be provided.

(b) Since the length of the inner stand is fixed, the distance between the bearings of the horizontal roll must (c) The window of the housing must be prolonged downward or the device for adjusting the vertical rolls must be removed because the upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical roll stacked on top of another must be pulled out or inserted by means of the carriage provided at the lower part of the Window of the housing.

. (d) It is not taken into account to change the horizontal rolls alone.

Another method than those described above is also practiced. This method comprised placing the upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls together on a truck, moving aside the device for adjusting the vertical rolls and the supporting frame for the device for adjusting the vertical rolls whereby to facilitate the passage of the vertical roll, providing a truck to shift aside the said horizontal and vertical rolls and thus replacing said horizontal and vertical rolls with new ones. However, this method is also disadvantageous in the following respects.

('1) Since both the horizontal and vertical rolls must be always changed together at the same time, it is not possible to change the horizontal rolls alone while leaving the vertical rolls intact.

(2) It is required to move the supporting frame for the vertical roll which must withstand the main separating force applied on the vertical rolls.

(3) The distance between the centers of the bearings for the horizontal roll is fixed, because of the truck on which both the horizontal and vertical rolls are loaded at the same time. For this reason, when there are a wide range of product sized, and extra length is always re quired to be given to the body of the horizontal roll.

This invention aims at providing a new method for changing the rolls free from any such disadvantages of the conventional methods as described above and relates to a method and apparatus for changing the roll of a rolling mill having a merit as follows:

In a rolling mill having the upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls contained in a housing, the upper and lower horizontal rolls are rotataby supported on the bearing by means of the chocks suspended and supported on the upper and lower beams which can be moved vertically by the vertical adjustment device. While the vertical rolls rotatably supported on the bearings by means of the chocks placed on the side cross bar can be moved vertically by means of the said cross bar which can be moved vertically by the hydraulic cylinder attached to a suitable place on the housing and also can be moved horizontally by the horizontal adjustment device, when the rolls are changed the vertical rolls are adjusted on a horizontal and vertical direction, and placed on the chocks of the lower horizontal roll in such a manner that the vertical rolls can come in and out together with the lower horizontal roll by introducing and pulling out the upper and lower horizontal rolls from the operating side of the rolling mill. There are provided the upper and lower slide rails on the said operating side at a right angle to the operating line and at a suitable distance from the said housing, movably mounted a side shifter between the said slide rail and the housing at a right angle to the slide rail. The new horizontal and vertical rolls for replacement are placed on the side shifter in advance by means of the inserting and on the said pulling out device for the rolls movable along the said slide rail and side shifter. The 'wear horizontal rolls and vertical rolls are pulled on from the housing which are to be replaced onto the said side shifter, inserting the new horizontal and vertical rolls previous y placed on the side shifter which are moved the side shifter again and inserted onto the housing so that the said wear horizontal and vertical rolls are shifted to the position at which comes to the extension of the slide rail when the device for insertion and pulling out of the rolls is returned to a required position, and the wear horizontal and vertical rolls are pulled out onto the slide rails by means of the pulling and inserting device.

The method for changing the rolls and the apparatus applying the said method according to this invention is described below in reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 showing the embodiments of this invention for rolling H-shaped steel.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are the drawings roughly describing the feature of a rolling mill incorporating the apparatus for changing the rolls according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 are drawings giving general descriptions of the apparatus for changing the rolls of the rolling mill according to this invention.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are drawings describing the conventional method of changing the rolls of the rolling mill.

The housings (15) (16) having an oblong window are arranged perpendicularly side by side and the upper horizontal roll (1) and the lower horizontal roll (2) are provided above and below in the window portion of the said housing (15) (16). The journals of the said upper horizontal roll extending to the operating side (X) and the driving side (Y) are rotatably supported on the bearings (3) (3) by means of the chocks (6). The said chocks (5) (6) are connected to a beam (9) provided at the lower ends of the screws (11) (11) on the operating and driving sides which are movable vertically by means of the nuts (13) (13) attached to the housings (16). The upper horizontal roll (1) is moved vertically together with the beam (9) and the chocks (5) (6 by the vertical movement of the screws (11) (11) .and such vertical movement can be adjusted by adjusting devices (31) (31). Similarly, the journals of the lower horizontal roll extending to the operating and driving sides are ro- 4 tatably supported on the bearings (4) (4) by means of the chocks (7) (8). The said chocks (7 (8) are placed on the upper surface of the beam (10) supported on the upper end of the screws (12) (12) which can be moved vertically by means of the nuts (14) (14) attached to the housings (15) (16). The lower horizontal roll (2) is moved vertically together with the beam (10) and the chocks (7) (8) by the vertical movement of the screws The vertical rolls (17) (18) on the operating and driving sides are adustably arranged between the said horizontal rolls 1) (2) in such a manner that they have their rotating shafts on the plane including the upper and lower horizontal roll journals. As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical roll (17) on the operating side is supported in the chock (21) by means of the shaft (20) and the bearing (19), the said chock (21) being arranged on the upper surface of the side cross bar (25) supported on its lower portion by a hydraulic cylinder (28) fixed to the housing (15). The vertical roll (18) on the driving side is supported in the chock (21) by means of the shaft (20) and the bearing in the same manner as the vertical roll (17) on the operating side. Both the vertical rolls (17) (18) are supported in such a manner as to be moved vertically in relation to the housings (1-5) (16). They are also so supported as to be adjustable in the horizontal direction in relation to the housing (15) (16) by means of the adjusting devices (29) (30), screws (22) (22), nuts which are not shown in the drawing, and the hooks (23) (23). A wedge (27) is arranged so as to be moved into the passage of the said side cross bar (25) by the hydraulic cylinder (26) to support the lower portion of the said side cross bar (25). The said wedge is moved when the position of the vertical rolls (17) (18) has been determined to fix the side cross bar (25) to the housings (15) (16). When the cross bar (25) is lowered by the hydraulic cylinder (25), the vertical rolls (17) (18) are simultaneously lowered as being placed on the side cross bar ('25) and finally supported on the chocks (7) (8) for the lower horizontal roll (2).

On one side of the rolling line of the rolling mill (the left operating side in FIG. 1, a slide rail (35) is provided at a suitable distance from the housing (15) and in the direction normal to the rolling line of the rolling mill. the said slide rail (35) being used to slide the lower horizontal roll (2) whose upper surface having substantially the same height as the upper surface of the beam (10). At a desired position directly above the said slide rail (35), the slide rail (34) for sliding the upper horizontal roll (1) is provided, the space between the said slide rail (34) and the housing (15) being somewhat greater than that between the slide rail (35) and the housing (15).

An inserting and pulling out device (36) having rotatably mounted jaws (43) (44) at its end and designed for inserting and pulling out of the upper horizontal roll (1) and the lower horizontal roll (2) is placed on the slide rail (35) so that the device can be moved by the driving device (41) to slide the upper and lower horizontal rolls (1) (2). Between the housing (15) and the slide rail (35) are provided the rails (39) (40) in the direction normal to the slide rail (35) and a slide shifter (37) having the rail surface (42) (42), whose height is correspond to that of the slide rails (34) (35), is movably placed on the said rails (39) (40), the said side shifter (37) being movable in the direction normal to the slide rails (34) (35) by means of the hydraulic cylinder (38) arranged in parallel with the said rails (39) (40). The upper horizontal roll (1) and the lower horizontal roll (2) slidable on the slide rails (34) (35) are slided by the inserting and pulling out device from the slide surfaces (42) (42) of the said shifter (37) to the slide surface (9) of beam (9) at the window of the housings (15 (16) and the changing rail (33). Also, the upper horizontal roll (1) and the lower horizontal roll (2) position at the window are reversely moved on the slide rails (34) (35) by means of the slide surfaces (42) (42) of the side shifter (37). The apparatus for changing the rolls according to this invention has the feature as described above. The vertical rolls (17) (18) are moved to a suitable position on the chocks (7) (8) of the lower horizontal roll (2) by means of the screws (22) (22) which are driven by the action of the horizontal adjusting devices, and then the wedge (27) is moved to the outslide by the hydraulic cylinder (26) so that the side cross bar (25) is lowered by the hydraulic cylinder (28) for a full stroke of the said hydraulic cylinder and the vertical rolls (17) (18) are simultaneously lowered as being placed on the side cross bar (25). As a result, the lower surfaces of the chocks (21) (21) encasing the vertical rolls (17) (18) come to be supported on the upper surfaces of the chocks (7) (8) of the lower horizontal roll (2) after the cross bar (25) has been lowered for a required distance.

Then, the upper and lower horizontal rolls (1) (2) are raised or lowered to the required changing position, namely, the position corresponding to the slide surfaces (42) (42) of the side shifter (37) by means of the screws (11) (11) and (12) (12) and the beams (9) and which are driven by the action of the adjusting devices (31) (31) and (32) (32) thereby causing the vertical rolls (17) (18) to move lower together with the lower horizontal roll (2) to the changing position. Thus, the upper horizontal roll (1) comes to be supported on the slide surface (9) of the beam (9) and the lower horizontal roll (2) and the vertical rolls 17 (18) also comes to be supported on the changing rail (33) incorporated in the beam (10). Therefore, it is possible to change the upper and lower horizontal rolls (1) (2) and the vertical rolls (17 (18) can be changed at the same time.

The method for changing the rolls according to this invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6.

First, in the roll shop, the new upper and lower horizontal rolls and the new vertical rolls to replace the old ones are placed on the slide rails (34) (35) at the positions (A) and (B). The inserting and pulling out device (36) for the rolls is placed at the position (G). Then, the side shifter (37) is slided on the rails (39) (40) by the hydraulic cylinder (38) so that the center may be shifted from the position (E) (F) to the position (D) (E). The inserting and pulling out device (36) is moved on the slide rail (35) by the driving device (41) together with the driving device itself. The new lower horizontal roll and the new vertical rolls are slided on the slide rail (35) while the portion to which the jaws (43) (44) are fixed is between the position (G) and the position (H) and the new upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls are slided while the fixing portion for the jaws (43) (44) is between the position (H) and the position (I), on the slide rails (34) (35) so that they are finally placed on the side shifter (37) at the position (D) (E). Then, the central portion of the side shifter (37) carrying the new horizontal rolls and vertical rolls is moved from the position (D) (E) to the position (C) (D) and the inserting and pulling out device (36) is moved by the guide of the driving device (41) on the slide surface (42) of the side shifter (37) until the portion to which the jaws (43) (44) are fixed is moved from the position (I) to the position (J). The jaw (43) is hooked up with the chock (5) for the upper horizontal roll (I) raised by the vertical adjusting devices (31) (31) and the jaw (44) hooked up under to the chock (7 for the lower horizontal roll (2) lowered by the vertical adjusting devices (32) (32). When the jaws (43) (44) have been properly hooked up, the driving device (41) is rotated reversely to return the inserting and pulling 6' out device (36) so that the portion to which the jaws (43) (44) are fixed is returned from the position (J) to the position (I). The upper and lower horizontal rolls (1) (2) and the vertical rolls (17) (18) together with the chocks (5) (6) (7) (8) (21) (21) are pulled out from the position (K) to the position (L) and placed on the side shifter (37 Then, after the jaws (43) (44) are removed from the chocks ('5) and (7), the side shifter (37 is returned on the rails (39) (40) from the position (C) (D) to the position (D) (E) by the hydraulic cylinder (38). After this, the jaws (43) (44) are hung on the chocks for the new upper and lower horizontal rolls previously placed on the side shifter (37 and the inserting and pulling out device (36) is moved again by the driving device (41) from the position (I) to the position (J). Thus, the new horizontal rolls and vertical rolls on the side shifter (37) are inserted from the position (L) into the position (K) together with the chock. After such insertion has been completed, the jaws (43) (44) secured at the end of the inserting and pulling out device are removed from the chocks for the new upper and lower horizontal rolls, and the inserting and pulling out device (36) is returned by the reverse rotation of the driving device (41), so that the part to which the jaws are fixed is moved from the position (I) to the position (I). The side shifter (37) is moved again by the hydraulic cylinder (38) from the position (D) (E) to the position (C) (D), and the jaws (43) (44) at the end of the inserting and pulling out device (36) are hooked up with the chocks (5) (7) for the said upper and lower horizontal rolls in order to take out from the side shifter (37 to the roll shop the said upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls which have been pulled out onto the side shifter (37 The inserting and pulling out device (36) is further returned by the reverse rotation of the driving device (41) from the position (I) to the position (H) and the upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls are transferred from the side shifter (37) onto the slide rails (34) and moved from the position (L) to the position (A). The jaw (43) for the upper horizontal roll is removed from the chock (5) at the central position (A) of the roll while the lower horizontal rolls and the vertical rolls are returned by the inserting and pulling out device from the position (A) to the position (B) and the jaw (44) is taken off from the chock (7 when that part of the inserting and pulling out device to which the jaw (44) is fixed is moved from the position (H) to the position (G). The upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls are transferred onto the floor at the central position (A) (B) of the rolls by means of the overhead travelling crane and serviced there. When the upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls are transferred from the side shifter (37) onto the slide rails (34) (35) and their centers are shifted from the position (L) to the position (A), the side shifter (37) is slided on the rails (39) by the hydraluic cylinder (38) thereby shifting their centers from the position (C) (D) to the position (E) (F) and preparing them for the rolling operation. On the other hand, the position of the roll is determined in the stand when the center of the new roll is inserted as far as the position (K) and that part of the inserting and pulling out device to which the jaw is fixed is returned from the position (I) to the position (I). As for the determination of the position of a roll in the roll stand, the positions of the side cross bar (25) and the vertical rolls (17 (18) are determined where the hydraulic cylinder (28) reaches its upper limit when the side cross bar (25) is raised by the hydraulic cylinder (28) thereby raising the vertical rolls (17 18) together with the chocks (21) (21), and the side cross bar (25) is fixed to the housings (15) (16) with the wedges (27) actuated by the hydraulic cylinder (26) Then the upper and lower horizontal rolls (1) (2) are lowered or raised together with the beams (9) (10) by means of the screws (11) 7 (12) by the vertical adjusting devices (31) (31) and (32) (32) respectively, thus completing the entire chang ing operation.

In addition to the embodiments as described above, it is of course possible to pull out or insert the horizontal rolls and vertical rolls to the operating side at the same time by lifting up the vertical rolls together with the bearings and chocks by means of the side cross bar (24) and pull them out onto the operating side utilizing the slide surface (9) for the upper horizontal roll (1).

As described above by using the method for changing the rolls of the rolling mill and the apparatus to apply the said method according to this invention, it is possible to roll such rolled products as large-sized wide frange beams, junior beams and special shape steel with an optimum roll length, thereby cutting down the costs of rolls and maintaining the accuracy of the products. Furthermore, it has an advantage over the conventional inner stand changing system in that the horizontal rolls alone can easily be changed. Since the two vertical rolls can be pulled out to the operating side or can be inserted from the operating side together with the upper and lower horizontal rolls, the changing operation can be accomplished simply and accurately. Furthermore, since the entire roll changing operation is done by means of the roll changing device only and it is not necessary to use the crane, the crane can be utilized for the purpose of changing the guide and the saw blade, etc. or for the maintenance of other machines, thereby minimizing the time required for changing the rolls and raising the operating efiiciency of the entire rolling line. Also, because, after the changing of the rolls, the rolls pulled out from the stand can be moved by the roll changing device from the mill yard directly to the adjoining roll shop, the operation can be carried out simply and quickly. It is still another advantage of this invention that because it is not necessary to make the window high or to remove the vertical roll adjusting device as in the inner stand changing system, the mill constant can be made greater.

What is claimed is:

l. A method for changing the rolls of a rolling mill having the upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls in the housings, comprising, suspending and supporting the chocks rotatably supporting the upper and lower horizontal rolls by means of the bearings on the upper and lower beams which are vertically movable by the upper and lower vertical adjustment devices provided in the housing, supportably arranging the chocks of the vertical rolls on the chocks for the lower horizontal roll in such a way that the vertical rolls are moved in and out together with the lower horizontal roll as the upper and lower horizontal rolls are moved in and out from the operating side by vertically moving the chocks for the vertical rolls by means of the cross bar vertically movably by the action of the cylinder attached to the required position on the housings and 'by horizontally moving the said chocks for the vertical rolls by means of the horizontal adjustment device, providing slide rails on the said operating side in the direction normal to the operation line and at a suitable distance from the said housing, movably arranging a side shifter between the said slide rails and the housing in the direction normal to the slide rail, placing the new horizontal rolls and vertical rolls on the side shifter by means of a device for inserting and pulling out the rolls movable on the said slide rail and the side shifter, then pulling out the horizontal rolls and vertical rolls to be replaced in the housing onto the said side shifter and moving the side shifter, inserting into the housing the said new horizontal rolls and vertical rolls previously placed on the side shifter, and moving the side shifter again so that the portion on which the said horizontal rolls and vertical rolls to be replaced are placed come to the extension of the slide rail when the inserting and pulling out device is returned to the required position thus pulling out the horizontal rolls and vertical rolls to be replaced onto the slide rails.

2. An apparatus for changing the rolls of a rolling mill having upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls in the housing, comprising chocks supporting the upper and lower horizontal rolls by means of the bearings, such chocks being suspended and supported so as to be vertically movable on the upper and lower beams by the vertical adjustment device mounted on the suitable place of the housing, the chocks for the vertical rolls supported on the cross bar vertically movable freely by the cylinder mounted on a suitable place of the housing and vertical movable by the horizontal adjustment device, the said chock for the vertical rolls being supportably arranged on the chocks for the upper and lower horizontal rolls so that the vertical rolls come in or out on the operating side as the horizontal rolls are pulled in or out on the opera-ting side, the rails for sliding the upper and lower horizontal rolls provided at the required heights on the said operating side in the direction normal to the operating line and with suitable space between such rails and the said housing, a side shifter provided movably by the cylinder or other driving source in the direction normal to the said slide rails, such side shifter being mounted between the said slide rails and the housing in such a manner as to have its slide surface at the same height as that of each of the said slide rails, to receive both the new and replaceable upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls and to change the positions of the said upper and lower horizontal rolls and vertical rolls in relation to the said slide rails and housing, and a device provided movably by the driving device for inserting and pulling out the said upper and lower horizontal rolls on the said side rails and the side shifter, the changing of the rolls being carried out by properly moving the side shifter together with the movement of the inserting and pulling out device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29200; 72-239 

